Chapter 28: The Secret Cult

Chapter 28: The Secret Order

Thump! Thump! Thump!

Klein's heart suddenly began to beat violently; it contracted into a ball and then surged outward, causing his body to tremble slightly.

For a fleeting moment, he almost forgot what he was supposed to do and what he should be doing, until the intruder's figure suddenly paused, tilting an ear slightly as if sensing a change.

"Blood" receded from his brain, and Klein regained his basic ability to think. He reached under his pillow and gripped the wooden handle of the revolver.

The sensation of hard, smooth wood came through, and his emotions stabilized rapidly. With slow, silent movements, he drew the pistol and aimed it at the intruder's head.

To be honest, he had no certainty about whether he could hit the target. Although he had been able to hit stationary targets steadily before, a moving person and a fixed target were entirely different concepts; he wasn't so arrogant as to confuse the two.

However, he vaguely remembered a saying from his previous life, which roughly meant that a nuclear bomb's greatest power exists only before it is launched.

In this moment and this environment, the logic was the same: the best deterrence occurs before the bullet is fired!

As long as he didn't pull the trigger or fire blindly, the opponent wouldn't be certain if he was a novice. There was a high probability the opponent would fail to hit him; he would worry, he would fear, and he would consider many things, to the point where he would impose restraints upon himself!

In an instant, one thought after another surfaced, allowing Klein to make an immediate decision. He was not the type of person who became calmer the more critical a situation became, but rather someone who had long since envisioned a scenario involving a Watcher and had planned to use intimidation as his primary method rather than attack.

There is a saying in the Great Foodie Nation: "Be prepared and you will have no worries!"

When Klein's muzzle aimed at the intruder, the thin man froze abruptly, as if sensing something.

Immediately following that, he heard a voice containing a light chuckle

"Good evening, sir."

The thin man's hands quietly clenched, and his body seemed to tense. Sitting on the bottom bunk of the bunk bed, Klein aimed the gun at his head and spoke in a tone that was as leisurely and natural as possible

"Please raise your hands, turn your body around, and do it as slowly as possible. To be honest, I am a timid and easily nervous person. If you move too fast, I might get startled and I can't guarantee I won't accidentally discharge the weapon. Yes, exactly like that."

The thin man held his hands halfway up beside his head and turned his body bit by bit. The first thing that entered Klein's vision was a black, tight-fitting suit with neatly fastened buttons, followed by two thick, sharp, brownish-yellow eyebrows.

Klein could not see any fear in his azure eyes; instead, he felt as if he were being stared at by a ferocious beast, as if a single slip-up would result in the opponent lunging at him and tearing him to shreds.

The hand gripping the gun handle tightened, and he struggled to keep his expression composed and indifferent.

Only when the thin man was facing him completely did Klein lift his chin, pointed toward the door, and said softly and gently

"Sir, let's go outside to talk. Let's not disturb other people's beautiful dreams. Um, move slowly, walk lightly... this is the most basic politeness of a gentleman..."

The thin man's cold eyes shifted, glancing at Klein once, and with his hands still halfway raised, he walked toward the door step by step.

Under the aim of the revolver, he turned the handle and slowly opened the door.

Just as the door was halfway open, he suddenly ducked and rolled forward, while the door, as if pulled by a violent wind, slammed shut with a loud *clatter*.

"Mm..." Benson, on the top bunk, was startled by the loud noise, groggily on the verge of waking up.

At that moment, a melodious and tranquil melody drifted in from outside, and a deep, soothing voice began to chant

"Ah, the threat of fear, the crimson hope! At least one thing is true: this life flies fast. One thing is true, all else is a lie, After the flower blooms once, it bids the world goodbye..." (Note 1)

This poem seemed to possess a power that made people relax and feel secure; Benson on the top bunk and Melissa in the inner room both drifted back into a daze and fell asleep again.

Klein's mind and body were both tranquil; he almost let out a yawn.

The movements the thin man used to escape were so agile that he hadn't even had time to react.

Looking at the closed door, he smiled slightly and muttered to himself

"You might not believe it, but that shot was actually a blank."

A blank to prevent accidental discharge!

Next, Klein listened to the midnight poetry, patiently waiting for the battle outside to end.

In less than a minute, that melody, which was as peaceful as moonlight on a lake, stopped, and the night returned to its deepest silence.

Klein silently rotated the cylinder, moving the empty chamber aside, waiting for the outcome to present itself.

He waited for ten minutes. Just as he was feeling uneasy and hesitating whether to go out and investigate, Dunn Smith's steady and gentle voice finally came from the doorway

"It's settled."

*Whew.* Klein exhaled, gripped the revolver, took his keys, and barefooted, cautiously approached the door. He opened it silently and stepped out, seeing Dunn Smith standing opposite him, wearing a knee-length black trench coat, a semi-high top hat, and possessing deep gray eyes.

Closing the door behind him, he followed Dunn to the end of the corridor, standing in the faint crimson moonlight.

"It took some time to enter his dream," Dunn said calmly, gazing at the red moon outside the window.

"You know his origin?" Klein relaxed considerably.

Dunn nodded slightly and said

"An ancient organization called the 'Secret Order.' They were established in the Fourth Epoch and are related to the Solomon Empire and some of the fallen nobility of that time. Heh, the Antigonus family notes originated from them. Due to the negligence of a member, they entered the antique market and were obtained by Welch, forcing them to send people everywhere to track them down."

Before Klein could ask a question, he paused and continued

"We will use the clues to track down and capture some of their members in reverse. Um, it might not yield very good results; these fellows are as skilled at hiding as rats in a sewer. But at least it will make them realize that the Antigonus family notes have likely been obtained by us, or rather, that we have grasped the key clues. Once that happens, as long as the item isn't extremely critical or important, they will completely abandon this operation. That is their philosophy of survival."

"...What if the notes are extremely critical and important?" Klein asked worriedly.

Dunn smiled without answering, instead saying

"We know very little about the 'Secret Order.' This success was largely thanks to your quick thinking; this is your share of the credit. Considering the possible latent dangers, as well as the help in finding the notes once your spirituality improves, you have an opportunity to make a choice."

"An opportunity to choose?" Klein vaguely guessed something, and his breathing subconsciously grew heavy.

Dunn withdrew his smile, his expression solemn and serious

"Do you wish to become a Beyonder? You can only choose a starting Beyonder from an incomplete sequence."

"Of course, you can also pass up this opportunity and choose to accumulate merit until it is enough to make you a 'Sleepless'—which is the beginning of the complete sequence controlled by the Church, the initial stage of the Nightwatchers bestowed by the Goddess."

*As expected...* Klein felt a surge of joy in his heart. Without showing any hesitation, he proactively asked

"Then which 'Sequence 9' can I choose from?"

He needed detailed information to decide whether to decline or accept, and specifically which one to choose!

Dunn turned his body, draped in the scattering crimson "veil," looked into Klein's eyes, and said slowly

"Besides the Sleepless, the Church also has three other 'Sequence 9' potion formulas. One is called 'Mystery Pryer,' which is the ability held by Old Neil. Heh, Roselle should have mentioned it to you; she can never keep her mouth shut."

Klein gave an awkward smile, not knowing how to respond. Fortunately, Dunn did not mind and continued

"Our 'Mystery Pryer' potion formula and its subsequent parts were obtained from the 'Morse Ascetic Order.' At that time, they were said to have not yet fallen; they still adhered to morality and precepts, pursued knowledge, and strictly kept secrets. Every member, after becoming a 'Mystery Pryer,' had to observe a five-year vow of silence to learn stillness for cultivation and to improve focus. The 'Mystery Pryer' motto, 'Do as you wish, but do no harm,' originated from them."

"A 'Mystery Pryer' has a comprehensive but preliminary understanding and mastery of mystical knowledge such as magic, witchcraft, and astrology. They know many ritual magics, but they can easily perceive certain existences hidden behind things; they must be extremely cautious and full of awe toward Beyonder powers."

"We lack most of this sequence, so the pieces cannot be strung into a chain. For example, its Sequence 8—though perhaps the 'Sanctuary' has it."

*This almost meets all my requirements...* Klein nodded slightly, feeling an impulse to choose.

Fortunately, he remembered something else

"What about the other two?"

"The second is called 'Corpse Collector.' Many of those death-worshipping cultists in the Southern Continent choose it. After taking this potion, they will be mistaken for their own kind by mindless undead, thus avoiding attacks. They can endure the erosion of cold, decay, and the aura of death, can directly see certain evil spirits, understand the characteristics and weaknesses of many undead creatures, and gain some improvements in physical fitness. We possess its subsequent Sequence 8 and Sequence 7. Heh, you should be able to guess its Sequence 7: 'Spirit Medium'! That was Delee's choice," Dunn described in quite some detail.

*"Spirit Medium" sounds indeed mysterious and cool, but what I want most is the mastery of occult knowledge...* Klein did not interrupt, listening quietly.

Dunn Smith turned his head to glance at the crimson moonlight and said

"For the third one, we only have Sequence 9. Whether the 'Sanctuary' is hiding others, I am not sure. It is called 'Diviner'."

*Diviner?* Klein's pupils constricted slightly as he thought of the regret left by Emperor Roselle in his diary

He regretted not choosing between Apprentice, Marauder, and Diviner!

Note 1: Adapted from *The Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam*, translated by Edward FitzGerald.

(End of Chapter)